Initiatives & Projects

The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times "I Love my Librarian" Award- Each year, thousands of library supporters nominate their librarians for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award, and 10 winners are selected. Nominations come in from every state for librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries, and all of the nominations are inspiring; people love their librarians!

Library Card Sign-up Month- Each year thousands of public and school libraries come together each fall in a national effort to remind parents and children that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Library Card Sign-up Month was launched in 1987.

In 2013,Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls served as Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month. Deng is a two-time All-Star and noted for his humanitarian work in Africa. As the Honorary Chair, Deng donated his image for a print public service announcement (PSA) that ALA placed in magazines during the month of September. Librarians can download the PSA as is or have it customized with the library’s own logo at no cost.

National Library Week - First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week (April 13-19, 2014) is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate. Learn more about National Library Week and download free tools at ala.org/nlw. Lives change @ your library is the theme for National Library Week 2014. Best-selling author and intellectual freedom advocate Judy Blume will serve as Honorary Chair in 2014

Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant - U.S. libraries of all types are invited to apply for the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week grant. The $3,000 grant is awarded annually to the best public awareness campaign promoting the current National Library Week theme.

Connect with your kids@ your library, an outreach campaign that encourages parents to spend more quality time with their children at their library, was launched at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans .

The initiative is designed to strengthen families by motivating parents to spend more quality time with their children. Specifically, the campaign promotes the public and school library as a trusted place to spend quality time with children. The campaign reinforces the idea that taking children to the library is a sign of being a good parent and demonstrates the free high quality programs available at the library for parents and children. Bring Connect with your kids to your library. Read more

Atyourlibrary.org is the public website for the American Library Association’s public awareness campaign — The Campaign for America’s Libraries, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

The goal of the website is to provide information and recommended resources that everyone can take advantage of at their local library. The site encourages people to connect with their local library and librarians.

Content on atyourlibrary.org is designed for library patrons, but it's also designed for librarians. On the site, you will find articles both timely and timeless that you can use to help your patrons use your library more, and use it better. Read more